BT says white space broadband is technically viable

Thursday, March 29th 2012
White space technology could bring broadband to rural areas, according to BT.
BT says white space broadband is technically viable
BT has insisted its trial of white space broadband on the Isle of Bute in Scotland shows that the technology is technically viable, but warned that cost and return on investment are potential barriers.

The telecoms giant launched a white space pilot scheme at Kilchattan Bay on the island last April, with the project set to run until this September.

Utilising spaces between the frequencies used for digital TV delivery, white space technology has successfully been used by BT to bring broadband connectivity to ten farmers in the area, reports PC Pro.

The service is capable of achieving speeds of up to 8Mbps and could be a realistic means to extend coverage to outlying regions of the UK.

Chris Gibbs, director of insight, innovation and futures at BT Openreach, said many people get "hung up" on the headline speed of a broadband service, but claimed the more important issue in the real world is what a connection can be used for.

An 8Mbps link may be enough to bring reliable internet access and online applications such as BBC iPlayer to "a few people", he argued.

Openreach is trialling white space to assess whether it can be of assistance to homes and businesses that receive no broadband or a service with speeds of less than 2Mbps.

BT stressed that the service will indeed only deliver connectivity to a limited number of properties, explaining it is targeted at communities where "tens" of people - rather than hundreds or thousands - need to get online.

However, it said this may be suitable in Scotland, where many exchanges support less than 100 lines.

"I think the work we've done so far has been really encouraging," Mr Gibbs commented.

"If we can get the technology integrated correctly and we can get the commercial performance correct, then I absolutely think we will see this kind of technology rolled out."

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